CLEVELAND — Cleveland Browns fans are some of the most passionate in the National Football League, but the Browns fandom isn't just in northeast Ohio, it even stretches across the pond.
Kelly Burgess Taylor grew up in Painesville, Ohio, and has been a Cleveland Browns fan her entire life. In 2003, she moved to London and joined the British BullDawgs Browns Backers chapter when there was just 10 members.
Fast forward to today, and she's President of the chapter that has grown to more than 400 members.
"I do it just as a way to bring people together and to have a nice sense of community in the UK. Whether you’re a Clevelander who’s visiting for a week, a Clevelander who has moved here like myself, or we actually have a lot of Browns fans who are British people who’ve chosen the Browns for one reason or another," Burgess Taylor said.
Her hard work in growing the game in London led the Cleveland Browns organization to select her as their 2024 International Fan of the Year.
“She became a Browns fan when she was still statewide with her brother and then took her fandom across the pond in London and started building a fanbase for us there and is essentially our front line ambassador. The writing was on the wall that she was deserving of this title," Cleveland Browns Senior Manager of Marketing Corey Kinder said.
Kelly found out the news in a surprise video from Pro Football Hall of Famer and Former Cleveland Brown Joe Thomas. She’ll get to announce one of the team’s draft picks at the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay.
“All of a sudden, turns around, it’s Joe Thomas. That was big surprise number one. Big surprise number two is he tells me I’m the International Fan of the Year," Burgess Taylor said. "Super excited to go to the draft in Green Bay and announce one of the picks, I’m just scared they’re going to give me somebody with a difficult name to pronounce.”
While the honor is nice, she said bringing people together through their love of Browns football is where she gets value out of what she does.
"I love being able to bring all these people together and to be recognized for it is such an honor," Burgess Taylor said.
Kelly will get to watch the Cleveland Browns in the UK for the first time since the 2017 season as the team is set to play one of its 9 regular season home games in London.
